Streambed scour evaluations and conditions at selected bridge sites in Alaska, 2013–15
Robin A. Beebee, Karenth L. Dworsky, Schyler J. Knopp
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5149
Streambed scour potential was evaluated at 52 river- and stream-spanning bridges in Alaska that lack a quantitative scour analysis or have unknown foundation details. All sites were evaluated for stream stability and long-term scour potential. Contraction scour and abutment scour were calculated for 52 bridges, and pier scour was calculated...
An evaluation of the zooplankton community at the Sheboygan River Area of Concern and non-Area of Concern comparison sites in western Lake Michigan rivers and harbors in 2016
Hayley T. Olds, Barbara C. Scudder Eikenberry, Daniel J. Burns, Amanda H. Bell
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5131
The Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs) are considered to be the most severely degraded areas within the Great Lakes basin, as defined in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and amendments. Among the 43 designated AOCs are four Lake Michigan AOCs in the State of Wisconsin. The smallest of...
The 2014 eruptions of Pavlof Volcano, Alaska
Christopher F. Waythomas, Matthew M. Haney, Kristi L. Wallace, Cheryl E. Cameron, David J. Schneider
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5129
Pavlof Volcano is one of the most frequently active volcanoes in the Aleutian Island arc, having erupted more than 40 times since observations were first recorded in the early 1800s . The volcano is located on the Alaska Peninsula (lat 55.4173° N, long 161.8937° W), near Izembek National Wildlife Refuge....
Evaluation of hypotheses for right-lateral displacement of Neogene strata along the San Andreas Fault between Parkfield and Maricopa, California
Richard G. Stanley, John A. Barron, Charles L. Powell II
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5125
We used geological field studies and diatom biostratigraphy to test a published hypothesis that Neogene marine siliceous strata in the Maricopa and Parkfield areas, located on opposite sides of the San Andreas Fault, were formerly contiguous and then were displaced by about 80–130 kilometers (km) of right-lateral slip along the...
Water quality, sources of nitrate, and chemical loadings in the Geronimo Creek and Plum Creek watersheds, south-central Texas, April 2015–March 2016
Rebecca B. Lambert, Stephen P. Opsahl, MaryLynn Musgrove
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5121
Located in south-central Texas, the Geronimo Creek and Plum Creek watersheds have long been characterized by elevated nitrate concentrations. From April 2015 through March 2016, an assessment was done by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board,...
Runoff and water-quality characteristics of three Discovery Farms in North Dakota, 2008–16
Joel M. Galloway, Rochelle A. Nustad
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5124
Agricultural producers in North Dakota are aware of concerns about degrading water quality, and many of the producers are interested in implementing conservation practices to reduce the export of nutrients from their farms. Producers often implement conservation practices without knowledge of the water quality of the runoff from their farm...
Correlation between basalt flows and radiochemical and chemical constituents in selected wells in the southwestern part of the Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho
Roy C. Bartholomay, Mary K. V. Hodges, Duane E. Champion
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5148
Wastewater discharged to wells and ponds and wastes buried in shallow pits and trenches at facilities at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have contributed contaminants to the eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP) aquifer in the southwestern part of the INL. This report describes the correlation between subsurface stratigraphy in...
A field trip guide to the petrology of Quaternary volcanism on the Yellowstone Plateau
Jorge A. Vazquez, Mark E. Stelten, Ilya N. Bindeman, Kari Cooper
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5022-Q
The Yellowstone Plateau is one of the largest manifestations of silicic volcanism on Earth, and marks the youngest focus of magmatism associated with the Yellowstone Hot Spot. The earliest products of Yellowstone Hot Spot volcanism are from ~17 million years ago, but may be as old as ~32 Ma, and...
The discovery and character of Pleistocene calcrete uranium deposits in the Southern High Plains of west Texas, United States
Bradley S. Van Gosen, Susan M. Hall
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5134
This report describes the discovery and geology of two near-surface uranium deposits within calcareous lacustrine strata of Pleistocene age in west Texas, United States. Calcrete uranium deposits have not been previously reported in the United States. The west Texas uranium deposits share characteristics with some calcrete uranium deposits in Western...
Groundwater levels, geochemistry, and water budget of the Tsala Apopka Lake system, west-central Florida, 2004–12
W. Scott McBride, Patricia A. Metz, Patrick J. Ryan, Mark Fulkerson, Harry C. Downing
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5132
Tsala Apopka Lake is a complex system of lakes and wetlands, with intervening uplands, located in Citrus County in west-central Florida. It is located within the 2,100 square mile watershed of the Withlacoochee River, which drains north and northwest towards the Gulf of Mexico. The lake system is managed by...
Peak discharge, flood frequency, and peak stage of floods on Big Cottonwood Creek at U.S. Highway 50 near Coaldale, Colorado, and Fountain Creek below U.S. Highway 24 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2016
Michael S. Kohn, Michael R. Stevens, Amanullah Mommandi, Aziz R. Khan
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5107
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Transportation, determined the peak discharge, annual exceedance probability (flood frequency), and peak stage of two floods that took place on Big Cottonwood Creek at U.S. Highway 50 near Coaldale, Colorado (hereafter referred to as “Big Cottonwood Creek site”),...
Vegetation response of a dry shrubland community to feral goat management on the island of Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i
James D. Jacobi, Jonathan D. Stock
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5136
The Hawaiian Islands are well known for their unique ecosystem assemblages that have a high proportion of endemic flora and fauna. However, since human colonization of this archipelago—starting with the arrival of Polynesian sailors approximately 1,200 years ago, and particularly following western contact in 1778—thousands of non-native species have been...
Generalized hydrogeologic framework and groundwater budget for a groundwater availability study for the glacial aquifer system of the United States
Howard W. Reeves, Randall E. Bayless, Robert W. Dudley, Daniel T. Feinstein, Michael N. Fienen, Christopher J. Hoard, Glenn A. Hodgkins, Sharon L. Qi, Jason L. Roth, Jared J. Trost
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5015
The glacial aquifer system groundwater availability study seeks to quantify (1) the status of groundwater resources in the glacial aquifer system, (2) how these resources have changed over time, and (3) likely system response to future changes in anthropogenic and environmental conditions. The glacial aquifer system extends from Maine to...
Groundwater discharge to the Mississippi River and groundwater balances for the Interstate 94 Corridor surficial aquifer, Clearwater to Elk River, Minnesota, 2012–14
Erik A. Smith, David L. Lorenz, Erich W. Kessler, Andrew M. Berg, Christopher A. Sanocki
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5114
The Interstate 94 Corridor has been identified as 1 of 16 Minnesota groundwater areas of concern because of its limited available groundwater resources. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, completed six seasonal and annual groundwater balances for parts of the Interstate 94 Corridor...
Evaluation and use of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean Watersheds Needs Survey data to quantify nutrient loads to surface water, 1978–2012
Tamara I. Ivahnenko
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5115
Changes in municipal and industrial point-source discharges over time have been an important factor affecting nutrient trends in many of the Nation’s streams and rivers. This report documents how three U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) national datasets—the Permit Compliance System, the Integrated Compliance Information System, and the Clean Watersheds Needs...
Detection of microcystin and other cyanotoxins in lakes at Isle Royale National Park, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, northern Michigan, 2012–13
Lori M. Fuller, Angela K. Brennan, Lisa R. Fogarty, Keith A. Loftin, Heather E. Johnson, David D. VanderMeulen, Brenda Moraska Lafrancois
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5122
Although cyanotoxins released during algal blooms have become an increasing concern in surface waters across the United States, the presence of cyanotoxins in northern Michigan lakes had not been evaluated in detail. The U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service (NPS) led a 2-year study (2012 and 2013) to determine...
Groundwater model of the Great Basin carbonate and alluvial aquifer system version 3.0: Incorporating revisions in southwestern Utah and east central Nevada
Lynette E. Brooks
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5072
The groundwater model described in this report is a new version of previously published steady-state numerical groundwater flow models of the Great Basin carbonate and alluvial aquifer system, and was developed in conjunction with U.S. Geological Survey studies in Parowan, Pine, and Wah Wah Valleys, Utah....
Groundwater flux and nutrient loading in the northeast section of Bear Lake, Muskegon County, Michigan, 2015
Alexander R. Totten, Jessica A. Maurer, Joseph W. Duris
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5092
Bear Lake in North Muskegon, Michigan, is listed as part of the Muskegon Lake area of concern as designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This area of concern was designated as a result of eutrophication and beneficial use impairments. On the northeast end of Bear Lake, two man-made retention...
Procedure for calculating estimated ultimate recoveries of wells in the Mississippian Barnett Shale, Bend Arch–Fort Worth Basin Province of north-central Texas
Heidi M. Leathers-Miller
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5102
In 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey published an assessment of technically recoverable continuous oil and gas resources of the Mississippian Barnett Shale in the Bend Arch–Fort Worth Basin Province of north-central Texas. Of the two assessment units involved in the overall assessment, one included a roughly equal number of oil wells and gas wells...
Macroinvertebrate communities evaluated prior to and following a channel restoration project in Silver Creek, Blaine County, Idaho, 2001-16
Dorene E. MacCoy, Terry M. Short
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5126
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Blaine County and The Nature Conservancy, evaluated the status of macroinvertebrate communities prior to and following a channel restoration project in Silver Creek, Blaine County, Idaho. The objective of the evaluation was to determine whether 2014 remediation efforts to restore natural channel...
The U.S. Geological Survey Peak-Flow File Data Verification Project, 2008–16
Karen R. Ryberg, Burl B. Goree, Tara Williams-Sether, Robert R. Mason, Jr.
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5119
Annual peak streamflow (peak flow) at a streamgage is defined as the maximum instantaneous flow in a water year. A water year begins on October 1 and continues through September 30 of the following year; for example, water year 2015 extends from October 1, 2014, through September 30, 2015. The...
Geologic field-trip guide to the volcanic and hydrothermal landscape of the Yellowstone Plateau
Lisa Ann Morgan Morzel, W. C. Pat Shanks, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Jamie M. Farrell, Joel E. Robinson
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5022-P
Yellowstone National Park, a nearly 9,000 km2 (~3,468 mi2) area, was preserved in 1872 as the world’s first national park for its unique, extraordinary, and magnificent natural features. Rimmed by a crescent of older mountainous terrain, Yellowstone National Park has at its core the Quaternary Yellowstone Plateau, an...
Suitability of river delta sediment as proppant, Missouri and Niobrara Rivers, Nebraska and South Dakota, 2015
Ronald B. Zelt, Christopher M. Hobza, Bethany L. Burton, Nathaniel J. Schaepe, Nadine M. Piatak
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5105
Sediment management is a challenge faced by reservoir managers who have several potential options, including dredging, for mitigation of storage capacity lost to sedimentation. As sediment is removed from reservoir storage, potential use of the sediment for socioeconomic or ecological benefit could potentially defray some costs of its removal. Rivers...
Flood-inundation maps for North Fork Salt Creek at Nashville, Indiana
Zachary W. Martin
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5127
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 3.2-mile reach of North Fork Salt Creek at Nashville, Indiana, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Indiana Department of Transportation. The flood-inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science website at http://water.usgs.gov/osw/flood_inundation/,...
Flood-inundation maps for the White River at Noblesville, Indiana
Zachary W. Martin
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5123
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 7.5-mile reach of the White River at Noblesville, Indiana, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Indiana Department of Transportation. The flood-inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science website at https://water.usgs.gov/osw/flood_inundation/, depict...
